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PEGGY AND LAMAR’S LOVE STORY 8/26/2013 3:40:00 PM by: Malinda Martin

She grew up playing table tennis at the nearby park. The boys loved her because she could actually beat them. Because of this fact, she was never without companionship. At thirteen, she started dating these boys, which really wasn’t a big deal. The time was the 1940’s, just after the war. Times were simpler, safer. When she was seventeen, Peggy was highly experienced in the world of dating and even had a boyfriend. This boyfriend had a best friend—a very handsome best friend. Not that Peggy noticed, of course. When this boyfriend had to go out of town for the summer, he told his best friend to keep an eye on Peggy.

Which he did.

Lamar hadn’t been in town very long. He was fresh off the farm and eager to make his way in the big city. It had taken all his savings to travel from his parents’ home in rural South Georgia and he was determined to make it big. His first step was business school. He lived in a boarding house that provided only breakfast and dinner, so he went without lunch. But this was his big chance and he took it, learning all he could as he adjusted to the city, making friends along the way.

But he hadn’t counted on Peggy. With her zest for life and her outgoing spirit, she captivated Lamar. As he was “keeping an eye on her” by taking her out and checking in with her, he found himself quickly falling in love. Amazingly, Peggy felt the same. In a short period of time, they admitted their feelings to each other and Lamar asked her to be his wife. The engagement period was brief, only a couple of months. The boyfriend came back to find Peggy promised to Lamar. To his credit, he gracefully bowed out, wishing them the best.

The wedding was small but intimate as Peggy and Lamar made their vows to each other, and as they drove away from the cheering attendants, they traveled to St. Augustine Beach for a short honeymoon-only one day! Afterward they returned to a small apartment in the city where they started their life together.

And sixty-three years later, Lamar is still “keeping his eye on Peggy.”